48 I, Your Father, am a Man of Great Ambition

After reaching Otogakure, Wu, Guren, and Tayuya made their way over to Orochimaru's throne room. Guren had already reported the Rasa's slip up, so, despite appearing as her usual self from Wu's perspective, Orochimaru resembled the man in the Bingo Book as s/he said, "Welcome back, Dadi-sama, Tayuya-chan, Guren-chan..." in a raspy tone.

Showing no signs he cared about being 'deceived,' Wu raised his hand and offered his standard, "Yo." while Guren and Tayuya gave comparably polite/respectful responses.

Though he had expected Wu to ask at least 'some' questions, Orochimaru managed to stay on topic, asking, "How was your visit to Suna? I've been informed that you and the Kazekage's daughter hit it off remarkably well. As expected of the 'splendiferous' Dadi-sama..."

Nodding his head, Wu mused, "She's a good girl. With a bit of polish, she'll make an excellent woman. Speaking of which...I didn't see Kagero. Where is she?"

Believing 'Dadi' was concerned about one of his 'pets,' Orochimaru gave a knowing smile as he assured, "Worry not, Dadi-sama. If I had to guess, I would assume your little mayfly is currently waiting outside of your room. Since I knew you would be returning today, I elected to give her the day off so you can...gauge her progress."

Amused by his own insinuation, Orochimaru snickered for a few moments before catching Wu a little off guard, asking, "So, where will your travels take you next, Dadi-sama? Iwa? Kiri? I would ask you to participate in the upcoming Chunin Exams, but your face and name are already recorded in the Bingo Book. 30,000,000 Ryo from Iwa, Alive Only. It would appear old man Oonoki has taken an interest in you. Ufufufufu~"

Shrugging his shoulders, Wu adopted a cheeky grin as he asked, "Can you blame him? I'm pretty fucking amazing."

Without trying to refute Wu's claims, Orochimaru mused, "Indeed you are, Dadi-sama. That's why I would like to invite you to accompany me on the day of the Chunin Exam Finals. As one of the people who will rule over the region in the wake of Konoha's ruin, it's only natural that you would have a first-row seat..."

Though he had the creeping suspicion that Orochimaru had uncovered his identity and was fucking with him, Wu smiled brazenly and replied, "Count me in. I had always imagined Konoha would become my seat of power, so there's no way in hell I'd miss out on such a 'festive' event. Hell, it may as well be my very own coronation ceremony."

Grinning like a demon, Orochimaru's voice carried a hint of excitement as he said, "Very well said, Dadi-sama. I always knew you had tremendous potential. At this rate, you may even be able to 'unify' the Continent in the future. Then, with my research prowess and your power, we can create a world in which everyone can reach their full potential...!"

Surprised by Orochimaru's sudden 'vigor,' Wu opened his eyes in genuine shock. He and Orochimaru appeared to have more in common than he previously thought. It was almost unfortunate that he happened to be a man of his word...

Offering an authentic smile, the look in Wu's eyes became serious as he stated, "It appears we speak the same language. I'm looking forward to seeing how things pan out...Orochimaru-sama..."

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With only Guren being held back for an after-mission debriefing, Wu and Tayuya made their way to his bedroom, the latter staring at his back with an especially serious expression on her face. The discussion between Wu and Orochimaru had left her thinking that he may have changed his mind about murdering the amoral snake. Fortunately, just as they rounded the corner and spotted a much healthier-looking Kagero sitting on the ground, embracing her knees with a faint smile, Wu softly whispered, "I am a man of my word..." before walking away without turning back.

Though there was a chance that Wu was deceiving her, Tayuya found herself exhaling a sigh of relief. The serious effort he had put into making her exercise should have been enough proof to show that he was serious about 'claiming' her, but it was still a relief to hear him affirm his intent. At the same time, a firm conviction was born into her heart as she hurried to catch up to Wu's back, falling into step beside him...

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After spending two days idling about in the underground compound of Otogakure, Wu exchanged brief farewells with Tayuya, Kagero, and Guren before ascending into the sky. His purported destination was Kirigakure to the South-East, but his actual destination was Konoha in the South.

Though Wu had every intention of visiting Kiri and Iwa in the future, there was less than a month left before the start of the Chunin Exams. Wu had no plans to partake in the actual exam, but there was much he needed to prepare before the Finals. Thus, after a quick two-and-a-half-hour flight, he slipped through the gap in Konoha's barrier and immediately made his way toward...Yakiniku Q. The food in Suna hadn't been too bad, nice and spicy, but he had missed eating veritable mountains of meat on Hiruzen's dime...

Making his way into the establishment, Wu returned the greeting of the waiting staff before making a beeline toward a group of familiar figures. Two wore green jumpsuits, bushy eyebrows, and bowl-cut hairstyles, one had a perpetually constipated face, long dark hair, and the characteristic eyes of the Hyuga Clan, but the most important person present was the only female within the group, a dango-haired Kunoichi Wu regarded as his girlfriend.

As he was approaching from behind Tenten, Wu managed to elicit a fairly adorable reaction from the dango-haired cuttie as he raised his hand and said, "Yo, long time no see, Guy, Lee, Ne-"

Before Wu could finish his greeting, Tenten bounced to her feet and gave him a big hug, exclaiming, "It's about damn time you came back, Wu! You had better be home for more than a few days this time...!"

Reciprocating the bubbly girl's hug, Wu earned himself a 'warning look' as he gave her pert bottom a light pinch and replied, "No worries. I'll at least be sticking around until the end of the Chunin Exams."

Beaming with a radiance that could rival the sun, Tenten stated, "That's great to hear. Guy-sensei gave us the month off to prepare for the Chunin Exams, so let's train together."

Hearing Tenten's words, Rock Lee, a strange but sincere-looking boy with glossy black hair and thick eyebrows, exclaimed, "That's a most excellent idea, Tenten! Please, allow me to join you and Wu-kun in your training! Let us experience the flames of youth together...!"

Piggybacking off his young protege's words, Might Guy, resembling an older version of Lee despite being completely unrelated to one another, gave a toothy smile and a thumbs-up as he added, "Well said, Lee! But you've forgotten one key detail...!"

Exhibiting an expression of shock, Lee exclaimed, "Oh, no! Please, Guy-sensei, endow me with your wisdom...!"

Rising to his feet, Guy gave Tenten and Wu one of his best smiles, a faint glimmer reflecting off his brilliant white teeth as he said, "Young Wu here is Tenten's boyfriend. While it is youthful to want to train together, there are times when you should take a step back and allow youth to blossom naturally! Now, go, young ones! Go and experience your Spring-"

Unable to bear the antics of her teammate and Jonin-sensei any longer, Tenten dragged Wu to the other side of the restaurant with a crimson hue coloring her face. She didn't mind their antics all that much when they were out and about as a Team, but she could barely tolerate them when anyone whose opinion she cared about was nearby.

Though he actually got along well with Guy and Lee, the result of their earnest training ethic, Wu allowed himself to be dragged by Tenten until they reached one of the private booths on the opposite side of the restaurant. Each booth cost quite a considerable amount of Ryo to rent, but Tenten was aware of Wu's arrangement with the Third and knew he could very easily afford it.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Tenten attempted to across from Wu before the latter abruptly pulled her onto his lap, asking, "Where you are running off to~?" in a teasing tone.

Regaining her blush, Tenten gave Wu a light smack and softly exclaimed, "Jeez, Wu! Not when we're in public...!"

Raising his hands, Wu allowed Tenten to liberate herself from his lap, this time sitting next to him before she exhaled another sigh and asked, "So, how was your trip? Meet any cute girls while you were away...?"

As he had already made his intentions 'very' clear to the dango-haired girl, Wu didn't hesitate to nod his head, answering, "You'll meet them soon enough. As for the specifics, we'll discuss them once I've had a chat with the old man. Things could change drastically depending on what he has to say on the matter, and I don't want to provide you false information."

Though she nodded her head, Tenten couldn't help asking, "Can you at least tell me how many? Two? Five? Ten...?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Wu revealed, "It really depends on what the Third had to say, but I can guarantee at least five people will be joining our house once it's established. If everything goes according to plan, it will be closer to ten, but I doubt it will exceed it. Even five women seem like a hassle, but it's necessary for my ambitions..."

Nodding her head, Tenten was sincere as she said, "I understand." She still had a lot of doubts about the future, but she also believed in Wu. So long as he remained the same boy she had fallen in love with, she could endure sharing him. At least, that's what she kept telling herself the past two months Wu was absent.

Preempting one of Tenten's future questions, Wu grabbed her hand and said, "I never crossed the line...even when the opportunity was literally staring me in the face..."

Adopting a marginally more prominent smile, Tenten exhaled a light sigh through her nose before squeezing Wu's hand in turn, saying, "I always knew you were a man of your word. Still, if it gets too difficult, don't hold back on my account. Just try not to get anyone pregnant. I want at least one of your firsts, and having your first child is pretty up there in terms of important firsts. Promise me 'that' little right, and you're free to cut loose as much as you want."

Narrowing his eyes into an affectionate stare, Wu was being fairly sincere as he asserted, "I knew choosing you was the correct choice, Tenten...my only question is, when do you 'want' to have a baby? Because if it's in the distant future, I'll need to restrain myself so that certain individuals don't get too stressed. There are quite a number of women who will be wanting my children..."

As she had thought about it 'a lot' over the past two months, Tenten only hesitated for a moment before replying, "If waiting until I'm a Jonin takes too long, I'm willing to start trying at sixteen. I would prefer to wait until we're twenty, but eight years is a pretty long time to wait considering the things you have in mind..."

Catching Tenten a little off guard, Wu unhesitantly replied, "Sixteen it is. I know at least one fiery-tempered redhead who will protest, but I can use her 'frustration' to promote her growth further. Until then, we should work to increase your strength as much as possible. Some of the women I have met on my journey possess incredible talent and Chakra Reserves. I won't allow them to look down on you."

Seeing the fiery conviction in Wu's eyes, the sense of longing that had waned a bit over the past two months was promptly rekindled in Tenten's heart. One of her secret apprehensions was that she would be among the weakest members of Wu's harem despite being the 'first' woman he chose to stand beside him. Thus, even though she knew she was probably going to suffer a bit in the month to come, she smiled excitedly and replied, "'We' won't let them," placing heavy emphasis on the 'we.'

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(A/N: To those of you who are 'concerned' about the lack of lemons, know that there will eventually be quite a few. I just want to avoid the backasswards nutjobs who point fingers and accuse people of some of the worst things imaginable just to make themselves feel vindicated.)